Fic: Not Cyanide
Oct. 1st, 2012 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseTitle: Not Cyanide
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series: Aura
Pairing/Characters: General Series
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 905
Prompt: For the 100_tales prompt 022 Pink
Summary: Carter tries to find out what happened to the newly revived Robin.
Warnings: None
Robin opened his eyes and focussed first on Aura, now kneeling at his side. An expression of horror crossed his face.
"Dear God in heaven, what century is this?"
Aura glanced down at her dress and giggled. "It's a costume, silly. Don't you remember?"
Robin sighed with relief and worked his way into a sitting position. His eyes alighted on Nikolai. "What are you, Dracula?"
Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "I am the Phantom of the Opera. I'm just not wearing my mask." He took up the fourth glass he'd earlier poured, and bit his thumb, dripping blood into the whisky until it turned from pure light amber to cloudy pink. He passed the resulting concoction to Robin who gulped at it greedily.
"Anyway, what are you dressed as?" Nikolai asked.
Robin's tongue chased a stray drop of liquid from the corner of his mouth. "James Bond," he said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Okay, Carter thought. Yes, that was an English accent, which may or may not be part of the costume. It was somewhat less refined than Aura's but was infinitely more consistent than Nikolai's globe trotting inflections. However he had more pressing questions.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Robin blinked lazily at him. "Who are you, Sheriff?"
"This is Carter," Aura told him. "He's our – friend."
Carter really didn’t like the pause before "friend", coming up with half a dozen reasons for it, and some disturbing ideas of what other words she might have used in its place. Undaunted, though, he repeated the question.
"I don't know. I was at the party with Layla."
"Leia?" Nikolai asked.
"No, Layla. But it was part of the idea I suggested Princess Leia. Where'd she get to?"
The others exchanged glances. "Not here," Nikolai said at last. "I had to Allure her to go away since you were dead and she was understandably somewhat disturbed by that."
Robin pulled a face. "Oh. She was a lot of fun. Anyway, I'm not sure what happened. Did I get shot? I don't remember getting shot." He tried to look at his own back, while Aura assured him she hadn't seen any bullet holes and hadn't caught the scent of blood.
Robin held out the empty glass to Nikolai, who refilled it only with whisky this time. Carter had seen Nikolai lick his wound once he'd tainted the drink, and there wasn't a mark on his thumb now, the skin pink and healthy. Robin took a long sip and put the glass carefully on the table, examining his fingers and flexing them.
"Poison, maybe?" Aura said.
"Not cyanide. I've tasted cyanide before." Robin pushed a lock of his untidy hair from his forehead. "Who would want to kill me this time? I've only been in town a week."
Aura patted his knee. "I don't know, sweetheart. Also I'm glad you haven't been here long because I'd be very cross if I thought you were avoiding us."
"I wasn't avoiding you. I didn't know you were here." Robin moved to wrap his arms around Aura as best as he could from their respective positions. Then he stood, stumbled, caught his balance, and moved to hug Nikolai.
Carter stood, impassive, trying to decide what he thought about all this nonsense. He quickly stamped down on a hint of jealousy at their camaraderie with Robin.
Nikolai cleared his throat. "Where are you staying?"
"Hotel. Somewhere. Red carpet. Good room service. Awful bedspreads." Robin fumbled in his pocket.
Carter leaned closer to Nikolai and asked in a low voice, "Is he all right?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. This is just Robin."
Robin triumphantly produced a key with a salmon coloured fob. "Hotel Rose. Very nice," Nikolai said soothingly, deftly swiping it. "But you should stay with us. We'll go and collect your luggage at a more suitable hour, and you can have the spare bedroom here. If someone tried to kill you, it would be better if you're not alone."
"Someone did kill him!" They might not see it that way, but Carter did.
"Only temporarily." Robin went back to the sofa and sat down heavily. Aura moved to sit alongside him.
"Still, that's murder. Especially if they thought you were human. Whoever did this could go after someone else." Carter wondered if Robin cared anything for human laws and morals, but figured the appeal to reason couldn't hurt. "You have to help me find them."
"Carter's a cop," Aura explained and Robin sighed.
"I don't know anything useful. Do I need a lawyer?"
Carter shook his head. "Perhaps we should talk more later. When you've had chance to recover a little more." He ought to have taken the names of all the people at the party because it was obvious Robin was going to be of little help on that score. He should have questioned them there and then – except he'd had no grounds to unless he wanted to get the rest of the police involved in what had been a murder at the time but as of five minutes ago wasn't any longer.
Or Robin could have been poisoned – if that was what had happened – before he even got to the party.
Things were so damn complicated. Carter couldn't ask for help on this without making up a story or having Nikolai Allure other cops into assisting. It was going to be tough to find the perpetrator.
The fact remained that there was a murderer, maybe human, maybe supernatural, in his city, who'd hurt one of Nikolai and Aura's friends. Carter wasn't about to let that go.
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series: Aura
Pairing/Characters: General Series
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 905
Prompt: For the 100_tales prompt 022 Pink
Summary: Carter tries to find out what happened to the newly revived Robin.
Warnings: None
Robin opened his eyes and focussed first on Aura, now kneeling at his side. An expression of horror crossed his face.
"Dear God in heaven, what century is this?"
Aura glanced down at her dress and giggled. "It's a costume, silly. Don't you remember?"
Robin sighed with relief and worked his way into a sitting position. His eyes alighted on Nikolai. "What are you, Dracula?"
Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "I am the Phantom of the Opera. I'm just not wearing my mask." He took up the fourth glass he'd earlier poured, and bit his thumb, dripping blood into the whisky until it turned from pure light amber to cloudy pink. He passed the resulting concoction to Robin who gulped at it greedily.
"Anyway, what are you dressed as?" Nikolai asked.
Robin's tongue chased a stray drop of liquid from the corner of his mouth. "James Bond," he said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Okay, Carter thought. Yes, that was an English accent, which may or may not be part of the costume. It was somewhat less refined than Aura's but was infinitely more consistent than Nikolai's globe trotting inflections. However he had more pressing questions.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Robin blinked lazily at him. "Who are you, Sheriff?"
"This is Carter," Aura told him. "He's our – friend."
Carter really didn’t like the pause before "friend", coming up with half a dozen reasons for it, and some disturbing ideas of what other words she might have used in its place. Undaunted, though, he repeated the question.
"I don't know. I was at the party with Layla."
"Leia?" Nikolai asked.
"No, Layla. But it was part of the idea I suggested Princess Leia. Where'd she get to?"
The others exchanged glances. "Not here," Nikolai said at last. "I had to Allure her to go away since you were dead and she was understandably somewhat disturbed by that."
Robin pulled a face. "Oh. She was a lot of fun. Anyway, I'm not sure what happened. Did I get shot? I don't remember getting shot." He tried to look at his own back, while Aura assured him she hadn't seen any bullet holes and hadn't caught the scent of blood.
Robin held out the empty glass to Nikolai, who refilled it only with whisky this time. Carter had seen Nikolai lick his wound once he'd tainted the drink, and there wasn't a mark on his thumb now, the skin pink and healthy. Robin took a long sip and put the glass carefully on the table, examining his fingers and flexing them.
"Poison, maybe?" Aura said.
"Not cyanide. I've tasted cyanide before." Robin pushed a lock of his untidy hair from his forehead. "Who would want to kill me this time? I've only been in town a week."
Aura patted his knee. "I don't know, sweetheart. Also I'm glad you haven't been here long because I'd be very cross if I thought you were avoiding us."
"I wasn't avoiding you. I didn't know you were here." Robin moved to wrap his arms around Aura as best as he could from their respective positions. Then he stood, stumbled, caught his balance, and moved to hug Nikolai.
Carter stood, impassive, trying to decide what he thought about all this nonsense. He quickly stamped down on a hint of jealousy at their camaraderie with Robin.
Nikolai cleared his throat. "Where are you staying?"
"Hotel. Somewhere. Red carpet. Good room service. Awful bedspreads." Robin fumbled in his pocket.
Carter leaned closer to Nikolai and asked in a low voice, "Is he all right?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. This is just Robin."
Robin triumphantly produced a key with a salmon coloured fob. "Hotel Rose. Very nice," Nikolai said soothingly, deftly swiping it. "But you should stay with us. We'll go and collect your luggage at a more suitable hour, and you can have the spare bedroom here. If someone tried to kill you, it would be better if you're not alone."
"Someone did kill him!" They might not see it that way, but Carter did.
"Only temporarily." Robin went back to the sofa and sat down heavily. Aura moved to sit alongside him.
"Still, that's murder. Especially if they thought you were human. Whoever did this could go after someone else." Carter wondered if Robin cared anything for human laws and morals, but figured the appeal to reason couldn't hurt. "You have to help me find them."
"Carter's a cop," Aura explained and Robin sighed.
"I don't know anything useful. Do I need a lawyer?"
Carter shook his head. "Perhaps we should talk more later. When you've had chance to recover a little more." He ought to have taken the names of all the people at the party because it was obvious Robin was going to be of little help on that score. He should have questioned them there and then – except he'd had no grounds to unless he wanted to get the rest of the police involved in what had been a murder at the time but as of five minutes ago wasn't any longer.
Or Robin could have been poisoned – if that was what had happened – before he even got to the party.
Things were so damn complicated. Carter couldn't ask for help on this without making up a story or having Nikolai Allure other cops into assisting. It was going to be tough to find the perpetrator.
The fact remained that there was a murderer, maybe human, maybe supernatural, in his city, who'd hurt one of Nikolai and Aura's friends. Carter wasn't about to let that go.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-02 03:27 am (UTC)And Robin, all absent-minded and cute :)
Lovely :D
no subject
Date: 2012-10-02 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-11 04:29 pm (UTC)Perfect reaction is perfect. :D
"What are you, Dracula?"
Yes, it's the most important question at the moment and it just couldn't wait. LOLOLOL. Love it!!
"Anyway, what are you dressed as?"
LOLOLOL :D Another, very pressing, matter to discuss. OMG how I'm enjoying it! :D
Carter really didn’t like the pause before "friend", coming up with half a dozen reasons for it, and some disturbing ideas of what other words she might have used in its place.
I can't explain why I adore this bit so much but I'm crazy in love with it! :D
If someone tried to kill you, it would be better if you're not alone.
That someone might not have known Robin was a vampire and therefore now thinks he succeeded. Or that someone had had suspicions and tried to prove his point. In that case, yeah, trouble.
OMG I'm so curious about all this! :D
Whoever did this could go after someone else
Good point, too! Damn, now I wonder what was the murderer's reasons, how it was done, and if it will backfire later. O_O
...what had been a murder at the time but as of five minutes ago wasn't any longer
Ahahaha))) I love this line! :D
Robin could have poisoned
Could have been poisoned or it's my reading comprehension fail? O_O
The fact remained that there was a murderer, maybe human, maybe supernatural, in his city, who'd hurt one of Nikolai and Aura's friends. Carter wasn't about to let that go.
Oh, yes! I totally in love with this plot turn! :D I soooo love detective stories! :D
Also is it connected to the serial killings from the earlier installments? Maybe someone's just trying to lure their attention away and harming Robin was never the intention? OMG so many possibilities here! :D
I want to know more!! :D
no subject
Date: 2012-10-11 05:43 pm (UTC)I'm still figuring it all out but I think this is definitely part of the killings.
Thanks for such a squeeful review :D
no subject
Date: 2012-10-12 07:55 am (UTC)Part of the killings! YAY!! It all ties together! :D I love it!! :D
BB, you know if you want to brainstorm plot points, or anything, I'll be happy to! :D
I promise to rein in my emotions and try not to be too annoying. O_O
no subject
Date: 2014-07-30 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-03 06:38 pm (UTC)I was still figuring Robin out here - there was a "dreamy eyed Robin" of unspecified gender mentioned in a ficlet and here we actually met him.
I think Nikki gets less attention because I'm usually writing from Aura or Carter's POV so we only see him through their eyes. Occasionally I write him, but it's rarer. I don't have all his backstory figured out the way I do Aura's so there's that too.
no subject
Date: 2014-08-03 09:08 pm (UTC)